Butterthebean

So when I read these comments I feel like y'all are saying I'm going to fail. These foods you're talking about eating in moderation, I no longer crave. I'm truly asking here, is there no chance for success for someone who has fallen out of love with all those unhealthy foods, and just wants to eat Proteins and green veggies?

Jumping Jesus....that doesn't even look like the same person. You should be proud.

It is a "thing." It's called the 3 week stall. Most people get it. It will end on it's own very soon. Read the link in my sig. Good information about why you are stalling.

Please do...I'd love to hear this. Seriously (no sarcasm).

Now this is an idea I can get behind. BTW....all this talk about cravings. I would never lick doritos. But I did lick wheat thins about 8 days after surgery....God they were good.

Well, either way...thank you for spicing up this forum. The only reason I say "enabling" is because I think there are some people waiting in the wings to hear someone tell them it's okay to eat whatever they want. They haven't tackled their food addictions and they are hoping for "permission" to go back to their old ways. I know there are some that can learn to eat "all things in moderation." I have no problem with that. For me, I chose to embrace my inner health nut. It's not fear or weakness or lack of self control...it's the desire to live a long, healthy and active life. I'm not depriving myself, or sacrifing. The things I'm doing and the life I'm leading now feel way better than eating pizza and cupcakes ever did (even in moderation). By that I mean that food did not give me pleasure (never did, I just thought it did), so I no longer look to food to satisfy my needs, except nutritionally.

Neil, I would like to agree with your sentiment about not obsessing, but I disagree with alot of your other assertions. There seems to be a theme to this thread that eating healthy equates to being "terrified of food". That's just not true. Some of us have turned a corner and decided that we want to be healthier individuals. The sleeve will make us lighter, not healthier. Eating less of the same junk that got us here will only make us slimmer unhealthy individuals. And yes, I do believe that eating junk is what got us here, not failing at diets. That was just a bump on the road to surgery. You would have never had those failed diets had you not made poor food decisions in the first place (and by "you" I mean all of us, of course...not singling you out). And also let me say for the record, I am no veteran, but neither are you (now I mean you, Neil). You're feeling good right now because the sleeve will not allow you to eat much. Down the line that will change. For some the increase in hunger and appetite is drastic. If you continue to oblige your every whim and craving you may end up right back where you started if the restriction relaxes. There are plenty of people here with food addictions, and the advice you're giving them is incredibly irresponsible. It borders on enabling. You obviously "know yourself"....but you don't know everyone else here. Just my opinion.

Absolutely start working out. The better shape you're in going into surgery the easier you're recovery will be.

Time for a new picture on that badge. You don't look like that anymore.

Which bike did you order?

I never jogged before. Before surgery I was 401. I didn't start jogging (if you wanna call it that) till I was about 305 if I can remember right. That was about 2 months ago. Now I'm 275 and really starting to like it. I'm doing the C25K....I'm in week 5 and just now getting to the point that I can carry on a conversation while I jog. My breathing is finally undercontrol. I'm not having any pain and I'm not out of breath when it's time to walk. I walk as briskly as I can, I don't speed up much when I start to jog, but it is a jog. I did some research on shoes. The best running shoes for overweight overpronators (and alot of overweight people are overpronators) is the Brooks Beast. I bought 2 pair and love love love them. I went to the store to buy some "everyday" sneakers, and I hated every pair I tried on because I'm already spoiled by how the Brooks feel. That's why I bought the second pair. I've been very wary of injury. I do not want a setback. I keep my form in good order and I take short strides, that's why I jog so slow. When I get lighter I'll worry about speeding up. Right now I'm doing 2-1/4 miles a day following the C25K plan. I feel like I could easily go another mile, in fact I usually do some 30 second windsprints during the cooldown.

It's about time for a new sig pic. Good job.

The 3 week stall could last from 1 week to 6 weeks. Does that narrow it down? Not much. If you stall at 5 months, that's most likely your BMR slowing down to match your caloric intake. That's a situation that won't change itself. You either have to up your BMR or lower your intake. Either way, the time it lasts will depend on how long it takes you to recognize and make that change. Sorry if I didn't really answer your questions.

....or My Fitness Pal....like EVERYONE else on this forum except OTR Sleever. He is a lone wolf.

If you feel an uncomfortable silence coming on, ask the guy an open ended question about himself....ask him something about his job, his family, a hobby. Anything. People love to talk about themselves. Getting him talking about something he likes and there will be no silence. If he tells you what he does say, "so how does that work?" or "how did you get interested in that?"....so on. And I'd be real surprised if any guy who was looking to start dating would be concerned at all about your VGS. Any guy I've ever met wouldn't hold that against you. On the contrary, he'd be glad you were trying to make yourself healthier.

Good job Mensch. Way to make it work for you.

I just want to say to everyone here who has not been sleeved (and you may already know this), when you start losing weight people are going to be coming out of the wood work to congratulate you and tell you how good you look. And the next words out of their mouth will almost always be "how did you do it?" Answer that however you please, and I am passing no judgement or giving no advice. I just want you all to be prepared for that question to be asked 1000 times, because everyone is hoping you will tell them some super secret easy method that they have never heard of.

The strength section is whack. Just look under cardio for "strength training".

Being obese but having been skinny in the past, or having been obese all your life? I read several posts by people stating they can't wait to get back to the way they were. I cannot relate to that. I've been fat all my life. In school I never once had a class where I wasn't the biggest kid in there. I've had no friends bigger than me. I remember getting teased in the first grade by the other kids. It caused me to develop a bit of a temper. Now I've got several friends who are trying to kick their weight loss into high gear because I'm about to be smaller than them. To them I've always been, and must remain, the fat friend. They just can't see me skinny and neither can I. Most of my friends are in their forties, so for them the scale is moving the wrong direction. I wonder if they would try this hard if I used to be skinny.

I took several weeks off work, then came back and lost 125 pounds in less than 5 months. There is no way people weren't going to guess I had surgery. So I tell everyone who asks. I haven't heard anything negative.

Good post. I think people forget that there are a lot of ways to burn calories that don't involve going to the gym.

I've using the heck out of my grill. Made some ribeyes and ham steaks this afternoon. On fact the coals are still hot. Kinda hard to make greasy food on the grill. In spite of what happened to you, ham steak and eggs sounds good for breakfast in the morning.